Sunbelt Cities Research Articles

Black Housing Patterns in a Southern Metropolis: Competition for Housing in a Shrinking Market

The focus of this paper is on residential housing patterns of blacks in a sunbelt city, Houston. The migration of individuals to the city has intensifzed the competition for decent housing. The rapid population growth has also accelerated the competition between lower and middle-income residents for close-in neighborhoods of the central city. Spiraling housing costs have limited the singlejamily home market to a select few. While the overall housing condition in Houston is booming, “poverty pockets” continue to exist amidst affluence. Black families are less likely to be homeowners than their white counterparts. The need for public housing far exceeds the supply; residency in public housing reflects the segregated patterns of the city: blacks in black neighborhoods and whites in white areas. Blacks' moving to Houston's suburbs lagged behind that of whites; the percentage of blacks in the city's suburbs actually decreased between 1960 and 1970. Overall, the economic prosperity that Houston is experiencing has had little impact in reversing the housing segregation level.

The Rise of the Sunbelt Cities. Edited by David C. Perry and Alfred J. Watkins. (Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage, 1977. Pp. 309. $18.50, cloth; $7.95, paper.)

The Rise of the Sunbelt Cities. Edited by David C. Perry and Alfred J. Watkins. (Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage, 1977. Pp. 309. $18.50, cloth; $7.95, paper.)

The Rise of the Sunbelt Cities

The Rise of the Sunbelt Cities